Marcus Browne can't wait for showtime to begin at Summer Olympics

Staten Island Advance/Stephen HartMarcus Browne poses with some of his boxing awards in his home in Clifton.

If you didn't hear its whistle, which shredded the air at a near empty Atlas Cops & Kids Boxing Club gym, you would swear Marcus Browne was jumping with an invisible rope.

The United States Olympic team's light heavyweight was whipping the cord around his body the way Bruce Lee used to swing nunchucks around his, a blinding combination of speed and power, characteristic of the 21-year-old's style inside the ring.

The rhythmic pounding of the rope on the rubber mat wasn't nearly loud enough to drown out Browne's pump-up music of choice, a song by rapper Meek Mill called "Use To Be" which contained a lyric that made Browne stop what he was doing.

"The man with the gold makes the rules"

"Hear that?" said a grinning Browne, making an obvious allusion to the color of medal he has his sights on when the Olympics begin in London next month.

Before going overseas, the 6-foot-2, 178-pounder is scheduled to fly to Colorado Springs on Wednesday to meet up with the rest of Team USA for a few weeks of training before winging their way to England for the start of the Games on July 27.

The American squad made a group public appearance in Las Vegas two weeks ago at ringside of the Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley welterweight championship bout, and Browne enjoyed the company of his teammates.

"We're on a mission, we feed off each other's energy," said Browne, who got to rub elbows that night with Mike Tyson, among others. "We challenge each other. I believe in this team. Now it's put up or shut up. It's show instead of tell."

But Browne -- who is among those who thought Pacquiao was robbed of a decision, by the way -- stopped short of making any predictions.

"I'm not going to guarantee how many medals we're going to win. I can only guarantee what Marcus Browne can do. Boxing isn't a team sport that way. I know I'm ready, and I know they're ready." 

HARD WORK PAYS OFF

The journey to get to this point has been a long one for the talented southpaw. After winning the U.S. Olympic Boxing Team Trials last August, Browne had a setback at the AIBA Men's World Championships in Azerbaijan.

That meant he had to win the USA Boxing National Championships in Colorado in March. After accomplishing that feat in impressive fashion, the three-time Golden Gloves champion and two-time Police Athletic League national titlist officially punched his London ticket by capturing the Americas Olympic Qualifier in Rio de Janeiro last month.

"Brazil was a great experience, and it's great momentum to go into London with," said Browne, who cruised to a 14-6 three-round decision over two-time Olympian Yamaguchi Falcao of Brazil in the finals. "But the competition there is half as tough as what I'm going to see in London."

The victory over Falcao played out the way most of Browne's tournament wins go -- build up a first-round lead (in this case, a 6-3 edge thanks to a standing-eight count) then keep the opponent at bay for the last six minutes.

Browne acknowledged that in the Golden Gloves, especially when those bouts are on Staten Island, he looks to put on a memorable show with an early knockout.

"When I'm at home, I don't move at all," he said.

But when the tournaments are on a national scale -- or especially, on the international stage -- the strategy changes.

"International boxing is all about scoring points. Some people want me to be more aggressive; you can be aggressive, but you have to look smart doing it, you have to pivot and set traps," Browne said. "If that means moving around a lot, I'm going to move around a lot.

"I'm going to play the game. A lot of guys don't have the footwork I have. If they don't have that footwork, I'm going to use my speed to my advantage. I'm going to do whatever is needed to win. People don't remember losers." 

LOCAL HERO 

Since Brazil, Browne has been putting in some long, hard hours locally with trainer Gary Stark Sr., and strength and conditioning coach Luis Ruiz. Recently, Browne sat down with Stark, Atlas Cops & Kids boxing director Pat Russo and renowned trainer and TV analyst Teddy Atlas to review footage from his recent fights, seeing where he can improve.

"The hardest punch is the one you don't see," said Stark, who puts Browne through a series of drills each session at the gym located inside the Park Hill Apartments, just blocks away from Browne's home. "The split second you relax after you've thrown a combination -- that 'rest stop' -- that's when you can get caught."

Being back on Staten Island also means Browne is surrounded by family and friends.

"They're my support system," said Browne, who could be the unofficial Mayor of Clifton with the way people greet him in the neighborhood. "They keep me motivated, even if it's a thing like screaming 'Champ' when I walk by. And they definitely keep me in line, too, if I get a big head. I'm just a kid from Park Hill, Staten Island."

Still, as much as he likes being home, Browne knows he has to strike a "balance" between making well-wishers happy and dedicating enough time to training.

"Sometimes, it can be a distraction. But I have to focus on the task at hand, and right now my family understands that," he said. "I have a mission, and that mission is to win a gold medal."

Browne will begin that march on July 30, the first day light heavyweights compete. The division's gold medal match is slated for the final day of the Games, Aug. 12. And as that opening bout draws closer, Browne's mindset about the experience has changed.

A month ago, he spoke of being a fan at the opening ceremonies, eagerly anticipating catching glimpses of fellow U.S. Olympians such as Kobe Bryant.

"I'm not thinking of having fun now. It's strictly a business trip," Browne said. "I'm tackling this like it's just another tournament. I understand this is on the world stage, but I can't make it bigger than it is. I have to take it one day at a time."

And while he is still looking forward to seeing Kobe & Co., "by the end of the Olympics, they might be going out of their way to see me." 